30 November 2007

The Hilton Hotel Fire

Guests evacuated from hotel during blaze

The fire is believed to have been caused by a faulty extractor fan in a bedroom, which was empty.

Guests were evacuated onto the street and part of the road was closed to traffic as officers went in to the hotel to tackle the blaze.

Two fire engines and an aerial ladder attended the scene and firefighters removed a window to get into the room where the flames were.

A spokesperson for the hotel said, "Our fire alarm went off and we evacuated the hotel."

Wendy Kirby, who works at the Langham Hotel next door to the Hilton Hotel, said someone came into the building to tell them what was going on next door.

She went outside to have a look at the fire in case it spread, and could see smoke coming from the window of the room.

Hilton manager Shaz Ali said, "The fire brigade responded very quickly. Everyone was out really quickly.

"They all co-operated and followed procedures. Everyone was safe and sound and it's business as usual again."

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Trump International Hotel & Tower will not begin a phased opening on Monday, as planned, because work remains to be done to meet fire-safety codes 28.12.2007

Fire at Hotel del Mar in Viña del Mar was controlled by firefighters

Friday, November 30, 2007

SANTIAGO.- The fire that affected the Hotel del Mar this morning, where the traditional Viña del Mar casino is located, was completely controlled by the four fire departments that responded to the emergency.

The disaster began around 08:50 AM in the hotel spa, located on the eighth floor of the building, and was allegedly caused by an electrical problem. It was able to be controlled by about 10:00 AM.

Evacuation of guests on the 7th and 8th floors was necessary as a precautionary measure. The procedure went calmly according to the hotel Marketing Manager, Gino Breschi.

Hotel security personnel, who had help from firefighters, quickly controlled the fire. Water was used to put out the flames and an air extractor was used to remove the smoke.

The "garden city" casino, affected by a fire last year, was not affected by the blaze.

The Goulburn Valley Highway remains blocked as Country Fire Authority crews mop up at the Shepotel (Shepotel) in Wyndham Street in the centre of the city, 180km north of Melbourne.

The hotel was not open when the fire broke out about 3.40pm (AEDT) yesterday but two people inside escaped unharmed, a CFA spokesman said.

The upper floor of the double-storey building was destroyed and the remainder suffered severe smoke and water damage.

The fire took more than 40 firefighters about 90 minutes to control.

The hotel had been refurbished about 18 months ago, the spokesman said.

Fire cause investigators will examine the scene.

The damage bill is expected to be well over $1 million.